Improvement in railroad rail-joints



H. WILLlAMS.

Railroad Rail Joints.

N0. 133,612. Patented Dec.3,l872.

-UNITED STATES PATENT EEroE.

HIRAM WILLIAMS, OF GRASS LAKE, MICHIGAN.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILROAD RAIL-JOINTS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 133,612, dated December3, 1872.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HIRAM WILLIAMS, of Grass Lake, in the county ofJackson and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Rail-Joints for Railways; and I do hereby declare thatthe following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof that willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing and to theletters of reference marked thereon which form a part of thisspecification.

My invention relates to a joint used to unite the ends of railway railswherein the iish-plate and splice-bar are used; and consists in animproved splice-bar as regards its shape and its operation.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a view of two rails united by a joint,wherein A are the rails resting on ties B, one or more of which sustainthe splice-bar C.v D is an ordinary fishplate united irmly to C by boltsEwhich pass through the rails A. Fig. 2 is a view in cross-section ofone of the joints.` Fig. 3 exhibits my invention in the splice-bar Gslightly bulged on its upper edge at c. c c are shoulders which, passingalong the web c beneath the swell a', receive and sustain the pressureof the wheel.

The great strain brought alternately upon the rails at their junctionsoon causes their ends to become so battered as to require removal`before the body of the rail is sensibly injured. In my patent forrail-joints granted to me July 16,1872, I endeavored to overcome thisdifficulty by combining the splice-bar and the iish-j oint as there setforth; but there was a liability, after considerable use, of a shearingmotion arising between the ends of the splicebar and the rails. y

I therefore propose to make a splice-bar with shoulders c c formed atthe ends of the top edge. These shoulders permit the ends of thesplice-bar to project along the web a, be

neath the swell a so that any strain coming on the rail at a.' will betransmitted directly to the shoulder c, and-the relative positions of Aand (l will always be the same. I make the bar slightly bulged from theends toward the middle, on top, in order that the wheels of a passingcar may transfer their pressure from the rail proper to the splice-barC. The rails A are prepared by cutting away the swell on v the outeredge as far as the web, and for a disl tance in length suflicient toadmit the portion c c of the splice-bar C. The flanges F are then cutaway to the same depth, but sufficient in length to admit the entirelength of the splicebar C, permitting the latter to rest firmly on oneor more ties, as may be desired, distributing the weight by its broadbase F. This, however, necessitates an irregular cutting of the bars A.I propose, therefore, sometimes to make the cutting of the web andflange to correspond in length, and then either make the ends of thesplice-bar diagonal, as shown by the dotted line m n, or else notch thebar at the lower corners in the same manner as at the upper corners, asshown by the dotted lines n o p. Either form would effect the purpose,and I desire to be understood as claiming either of the forms shownwherein the principles involved are the same or equivalent.

This splice-harris attached by bolts passing through the rails to a-nordinary fish-bar on the opposite side of same, and there may be two ormore bolts.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I cla-im as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

As an improvement upon the splice-bar patented to me July 16, 1872, thesplice-bar C,

for rail-joints herein described, when provided with the shoulders c cfor receiving the pressure of the rails, the same to be set into theends of the rails to receive the wheels upon their ordinary bearingsprovided with a broad v bearing upon the ties, substantially as setforth, and secured to a fish-plate of similar length placed against theoppositeside of the rail by bolts, all for the purposes set forth anddescribed.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand.

HIRAM WILLIAMS.

Witnesses:

WELLS W. LEGGETT, CHARLES HAYNEs.

